Soft-boiled eggs are my new obsession. The whites of the eggs are firm, but the yolk stays silky, creamy, and in a liquid gold state. It’s a little like a cross between butter and melted cheese. They’re seriously divine. And they’re not just for breakfast! I enjoy soft-boiled eggs with toast, as an addition to bowl meals, as a topper for salads or soup (hello, ramen!), or just as a quick snack. I pretty much add soft-boiled eggs to everything I eat, no matter what time of day. Are you ready to see how easy it is?
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
Why we Love Soft Boiled Eggs
Soft-boiled eggs are my new obsession. The whites of the eggs are firm, but the yolk stays silky, creamy, and in a liquid gold state. It’s a little like a cross between butter and melted cheese. They’re seriously divine. And they’re not just for breakfast! I enjoy soft-boiled eggs with toast, as an addition to bowl meals, as a topper for salads or soup (hello, ramen!), or just as a quick snack. I pretty much add soft-boiled eggs to everything I eat, no matter what time of day. Are you ready to see how easy it is?
How Long Does it Take TO Soft Boil an Egg?
The short answer is that it takes six minutes to soft boil an egg with fully set white and a liquid yolk, or 3-5 minutes if you prefer softer, slightly unset whites near the yolk. The long answer is that the time for soft boiled eggs also depends on the size of your egg and the technique used to boil the egg.
The recipe below is formulated for large eggs that are still cold from the refrigerator. In the U.S. large eggs weigh approximately 56-62 grams. You can use this method for other-sized eggs, just be aware that you will need to adjust the time up or down, depending on the size of your egg. Other factors that may affect the cooking time include high elevation, the type of cookware used, adding the egg to cold water vs. hot water, and the starting temperature of your egg. Start with six minutes for large eggs and adjust the time until you find the exact amount of time needed to achieve your perfect soft-boiled egg.
The diagram above shows how long to cook large eggs (cold) to achieve soft or hard boiled eggs and everything in between.
- 3-5 minutes: liquid yolk with soft, whites not fully set
- 6 minutes: liquid yolk with fully set whites
- 7 minutes: jammy yolk with outer edges set
- 8 minutes: half set yolk
- 9 minutes: half set yolk
- 10 minutes: mostly set yolk
Using the steaming method, I find 12 minutes to be perfect for a hard boiled egg with a fully set yolk. If you prefer to use a full water bath instead of the steaming method, check out my tutorial for hard boiled eggs.
How to Boil Eggs Fast
Half of the time spent when boiling eggs is just waiting for the water to boil, so I like to use a combination of boiling water and steam. To create the steam you only need one inch of water in the pot, which comes to a boil in just a few quick minutes instead of several minutes for a full pot of water. The steam from the boiling water is then trapped under the lid, it surrounds the egg and cooks the egg just as quickly and evenly as a full pot of water. The quick steaming method allows you to cook your soft-boiled egg in just six minutes, or about the amount of time that it takes to start making your coffee or toast a piece of bread.
If you want to see how to make soft or hard-boiled eggs using a full pot of water, check out my tutorial for how to make hard-boiled eggs.
How to Make Perfect Soft Boil Eggs – Step by Step Instructions
Add one inch of water to a sauce pot. Yes, you only need ONE INCH of water. Use the smallest pot you have that will house the number of eggs you’re making, so they’re in a single layer in the pot. I usually only do one or two eggs at a time, but this same technique can be used for any number of eggs. Place a lid on the pot and bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, gently place the large egg(s) into the pot. Tongs or a slotted spoon makes this easier to do without burning your finger tips.
After adding the egg(s) to the pot, put the lid back on top, and set a timer for six minutes. The lid holds in the steam, which surrounds the eggs with even heat, cooking them quickly and evenly.
After exactly six minutes, turn off the burner, and use the tongs to transfer the eggs to an ice bath. Allow the eggs to cool until they’re no longer too hot to handle, or let them sit in the ice bath until you’re ready to eat. Just make sure you don’t let them sit at room temperature after steaming, otherwise they will continue to cook with their residual heat, and the yolks will continue to solidify.
Carefully tap the egg on a hard surface to crack the shell, then gently peel it away. You’ll need to be gentle because the inside is still liquid and the egg will be somewhat soft and wobbly. Begin peeling on the fat end, which often has an air-bubble that separates the shell from the whites, and makes an easy spot to separate the two. Give it a quick rinse after removing the shell to get rid of any shell fragments.
And now it’s time for that magic moment… OMG the runny yolk is liquid perfection! *squeal* Just so you can see a close up of the awesome results… The whites are completely solid and the yolk is ALL liquid. How perfect is that? I feel like I won the lottery.
How to Make Perfect Soft Boiled Eggs
Servings 1Ingredients
- 1 large egg, chilled
Instructions
- Add 1 inch of water to a sauce pot, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, add an egg (or however many you’d like as long as they are in a single layer in the bottom of the pot), straight from the refrigerator into the pot. Replace the lid and let it continue to boil for exactly six minutes.
- After six minutes, remove the egg(s) from the pot and place them in an ice water bath or run under cool water until they are cool enough to handle. Peel, and enjoy!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
How Long do Soft Boiled Eggs Last?
Soft boiled eggs in the shell will last in the refrigerator for about two days. To reheat the refrigerated soft boiled eggs, just repeat the initial cooing process with half the time. Bring about an inch of water to a boil in a small saucepot, add the egg, and let steam for 3 minutes instead of six.
What to Serve with Soft Boiled Eggs
Soft boiled eggs go well with so many different foods that I find myself adding them to almost all my meals (“put an egg on it!”). I add soft boiled eggs to everything from noodles and rice bowls to salads and toast. When you break open that liquid gold yolk is like adding a deliciously rich sauce to your meal. Here are a few recipes where a soft boiled egg can really take your meal to the next level:
Perfect soft boiled eggs!
I’ve been on a spam and rice kick and adding these soft boiled eggs has been a total game changer. Delicious!
Works beautifully, thank you! The cold ice water right after 6 min is definitely key.
Eureka! I’ve been on a quest for the perfect way to make soft-boiled eggs for fifty years, and this is it. I was dubious at first but figured all I had to lose was two eggs. What I got instead was the most amazing soft-boiled eggs I ever made. The whites were nice and firm but tender and the yolks were smooth and loose but not runny or watery — more like custard before it sets up when it can be poured off a spoon like batter. And I love that they can be peeled rather than cracked in half and scooped out with a spoon — no more burned fingers and stray pieces of shells. Thank you!
I have never in my life been able to cook a perfect soft-boiled egg until now! I really don’t like hard-boiled yolks, but now I can move from soft up to medium without being in danger of ending up with something I can’t stand to eat.
I’m almost 35 and am ridiculously excited about this lol
Sorry if this is a stupid question but since the steam is cooking the egg, can you use an actual steamer to cook it the same amount of time or does it have to be sitting in the water?
That should work! I haven’t tested it to make sure the time is exactly the same, but in the restaurant business that’s how we often cook a lot of hard-boiled eggs at once (it’s a big steaming “cabinet” but the eggs never touch actual water). :)
When I follow the instructions (boil 1″ of water on high, add eggs straight from fridge, cover for 6 min), either the eggs crack and the water over-boils all over the stove. Sometimes it works and it’s great What am I doing wrong?
Try reducing the heat a bit after you add the egg so that it’s still boiling, but less heavily. That way you’ll still get the steam, but hopefully your egg won’t get knocked around. There shouldn’t be enough water that it can boil over, so you might try a little less water as well.
Followed your instructions to a “T”. Yolks not at all liquify. Disappointing.
I did this with extra large eggs and steamed them for
6 1/2 minutes. They were perfection!
Okay, so I know it might be silly to get so excited over an egg, BUT steaming them was truly the easiest and most effective way to make them perfect. I used extra large, so I set the timer for 7.5 minutes. Thanks for the tip.
By far the *BEST* way to make soft boiled eggs! I’ve never had a perfect soft boiled like stated in article, without goopy whites, and soft liquid yolks, before. The whites were firm but flexible and the yolk, like I said, soft, golden and liquid. Just perfect. Thank you!
Could I make these then put them in the fridge and put them in the microwave the next day? We will be doing a pancake lab for culinary arts and I want to use this as one of the sides but I have to make it at home… would that be ok??
Unfortunately, I’ve never tried that so you’ll probably just want to test one first. Microwaves cook from the inside out, so it’s possible that the reheating would just cook the yolks. I’ve heard that some people pop them in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes to warm them up, though.
But I want to eat them hot not cold so put in the microwave for a few seconds?
Mine are always still hot when they’re done.
HI, I just have done something wrong. I used large eggs, brought to boil, one-inch water. Put in eggs for 6 minutes, continued boil, all eggs cracked and I have a pot full of eggwhite and egg yokes as the egg came out the cracks. I have done soft boiled 100 times and never has this happened. They are in cold water now and I will see. I will also take pictures.
Grant in Ottawa, March 4, 2021
The water was probably boiling too vigorously so it cracked the eggs… that’s what my take on it would be.
Great recipe! Could I leave them boiling for say 10 mins when I need hard boiled eggs too?
Yes, when I’ve used the steaming method for hard “boiled” eggs, I usually do about 12 minutes.